


Encounters

by prosaicwonder



Series: Chasing the Dragon [1]
Category: Beyblade, ベイブレードバースト | Beyblade Burst (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Gen, Headcanon, One Shot, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:57:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9553634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosaicwonder/pseuds/prosaicwonder
Summary: The first time I had seen him, he was completely out of place.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one shot about Gou’s thoughts on Lui. I think about these two a lot and love them both very much ;-;  
> There are major spoilers for the special Longinus manga chapter and anime episode 38. Read at your own risk...

The first time I had seen him, he was completely out of place.

 

At least, he was - in our cramped Japanese elementary school classroom. He had not appeared immediately that morning; however, the rumours had circulated and the whispers of the other students around me suggested that things would be different from that day onward. They were not wrong.

 

I remember when the homeroom teacher had called out his name (“Lui, you can come in now!”) and he had entered the classroom door. The pale blue strands of his fiery hair blew in the wind as he stood in front of the blackboard, and his expression had been defiant as he faced the rest of us with his arms crossed.

 

Then, he had written his name - Lui Shirasagijo - in large script (He had used his left hand, too, which made the rest of the class whisper among themselves again), and turned back to face us. He would not say a word as he watched the rest of us; eventually the teacher, after giving up, introduced him as the transfer student who would be joining us from then on.

 

He had definitely stood out among the rest of us - there was no way you could miss him - and yet, his aura was distant, as if he wanted to shut himself away from the world.

 

—

 

For the next few months, some of the other classmates would attempt to socialise with him. They’d approach him at his desk when he’d stare out the window (on the far left of the classroom, dead in the center next to the wall) and try to get him to talk about himself, about America… even just to hear his voice, really. He could probably hear the perpetual whispers which were constantly around him, yet he chose to ignore his surroundings.

 

His eyes - bright and violet like amethysts - were always judgmental and cold. His angry expression never left his face; it was not the typical face of an elementary school student. He must’ve gone through many hardships, I had thought back then, but I did not want to jump to conclusions.

 

Lui was an enigma, but his presence screamed “Don’t talk to me” - some unfortunate classmates would be the recipient of his harsh words later on. Eventually they gave up and left him alone, as he spent the following weeks looking outside the classroom window in boredom.

 

Back then, I also thought that he might have been secretly lonely. Having to grow up in a foreign country and adjust to the lifestyle there, only to return to Japan and no longer fit into society… I could see why he closed himself off from the rest of us.

 

So I’d watch him from a distance, and somehow, I began to understand Lui’s character better: it seemed like he wanted to do something other than sit in a classroom all day, which made me wonder what sort of interests he had. Underneath the angry exterior, I believed that he had likes and dislikes just like the rest of us. He was definitely a bit strange, though…

 

Nonetheless, I wanted to wait for him to approach me himself. And when he finally did, I found out much more about him than anyone else in the school did.

 

—

 

Back then, and even now, I had a strict routine when it came to Beyblade. I brought myself to practice harder than anyone else if it meant that I could become a member of the prestigious Four Spin Emperors. For hours, I’d stand in front of the practice bey stadium, sweat dripping down my skin as I tried to launch Gaia into the center of the dish. No matter how much I tried, I just could not get it right; however, I was determined to get it right one day, and told myself to keep trying again and again.

 

I’d practice in the same room every day, until everyone else had gone home and the sun began to set and cast dark shadows over the stadium. No matter how long I spent, the amount of practice was still not enough; would never be enough.

 

One day, around a month after Lui had transferred to our school, he happened to walk into the room I was practicing in.

 

At first, I did not see him. It was only until the moment I could practically feel a pair of eyes on my back, that I stopped and turned around to see who was there. Lui was propped up against the door, his arms crossed as he watched me: his eyes had a testing look in them, as if to say, “Well? Are you going to continue?”

 

I continued.

 

—

 

After that, he came to the same practice room every day. I learned to keep going and not break my concentration when I felt his presence, and eventually became desensitised to the way his eyes would almost burn into the back of my shirt.

 

Days passed by which turned to weeks, and yet he always returned. For as long as I’d practice, he would stand by the door and say nothing, just quietly watching my every move.

 

I remember one time which stood out in particular, because it was the first time I had heard Lui speak. It had stunned me so much that I could not bring myself to practice anymore that day…

 

It had been raining and I was having a particularly bad day then. There was no excuse for me to skip my training, so I had continued my usual routine; however, I could feel that I was mentally in a different place. Gaia and I were no longer in sync, which resulted in one failed attempt after another at getting Gaia to launch into the center. At that moment, I felt like giving up. By then I had lost all my concentration, and stood hovering over the bey stadium, watching helplessly as Gaia wobbled around the rounded edges of the bey dish.

 

“That was terrible.” a voice had cut through the air, piercing into my thoughts and making my head whip up in shock. I had not noticed yet that it was the exact moment that Gaia had stopped spinning.

 

I didn’t dare turn around since I already knew who was standing behind me. The words should have offended me; however, they did not. I knew that Lui must’ve said them for a reason: he had not spoken a word to any of the other bladers in the school other than myself. He had spun around and walked out the door before I could say or do anything else.

 

Somehow, Lui’s words had motivated me to keep going. I promised myself that I’d do a better job the next day.

 

—

 

Despite my uneventful practice session the previous day, I kept up my daily practice routine. I had also been surprised that Lui was still watching me every day; perhaps he was still trying to find his voice? Maybe he actually liked Beyblade but wanted to see others battle first, before he’d give it a try himself…

 

That day, I ignored everything and everyone else around me and only focused on Gaia: its voice was as clear as daylight as it commanded me to lean forward and pull the launcher string up at the right time. It felt almost otherworldly as Gaia’s arm linked with my own, causing the angle to change and my Beyblade to be launched into the exact center of the stadium.

 

“Yes!” I had exclaimed, allowing a triumphant smile to spread across my face. I had been so unaware of my surroundings that I had forgotten about my usual visitor.

 

“That was good just now.” that sharp and clear voice had spoken from behind me. Once again, I was jolted back into reality with a few simple words.

 

Just as I thought, Lui had been standing by the door again. He did not smile but something in his eyes had changed: as if a fire had been ignited underneath. The air suddenly felt very competitive; the pressure suffocating and strong enough to crack glass.

 

“You communicated with Gaia.”

 

He had left as soon as he had spoken again, leaving me alone with Gaia who was still spinning rapidly in the centre of the bey stadium.

 

“Lui…”

 

From that day on, Gaia and I were one.

 

—

 

“Hey, let’s have a battle.”

 

It had been another long day of practicing. The sessions had become a lot more exciting after the day I finally perfected my launch, which motivated me to practice for even longer. I craved that same unity with Gaia which led to my success the other day: with enough practice, I would no longer have to rely on luck.

 

I had become so accustomed to no longer being aware of my surroundings at that point, that I did not notice how it was close to evening. Once again, I had forgotten about everyone else in the school, as I had only been listening to Gaia’s voice during practices.

 

Lui had come to the practice room a bit later that day: the difference was that he seemed to have rushed to me, skidding to a halt as he entered the door. It made me look up at him questioningly.

 

However, before I could speak, he had reached into his pocket and quickly pulled something out. His left hand was outstretched, and the object he was gripping gleamed brightly in the setting sun’s light: on its surface, the silver metal of two draconic heads shone back at me.

 

_Could it be…?_

 

“You… you’re a blader too?!” I had exclaimed. Was that why he had been watching me all this time: to see whether I was a worthy opponent to him?

 

He did not answer my question as he lowered his hand and returned the Beyblade back into his pocket. We had stood still for several seconds, before I asked him another question:

 

“How did you know the name of my Bey?”

 

Lui did not respond for a while, before he suddenly pointed a finger in my direction. His eyes were wide and manic, and it seemed as if his usual angry expression had returned. My eyes had widened too, mirroring his expression as he leaned in closer. Despite his small frame, there was an intimidating air about him.

 

“Gou Chagake,” Lui said, baring his sharp white teeth as he articulated each syllable of my name. “Current national Beyblade champion. Owner of Gigant Gaia.”

 

I blinked in shock. _How…?_

 

Suddenly, he moved away to stand normally, dropping his hand down to his side as his features softened.

 

“I do not just pick anyone to be my opponent. Like your Bey, you seem straightforward.” Lui had said in earnest, before looking up at me with a different expression: completely different to the menacing look he had just given me.

 

“I’d like to fight you.”

 

Yes, he was certainly a weird guy: to be able to say these sorts of things so openly. But I think that was the first time I had seen him smile. Strangely enough, I didn’t mind it.

 

I wanted to fight him, too.


End file.
